Tunnels of Blood: CDF Book 3
by Raaiku
Summary: Ariel and Darren must leave the Cirque behind, and visit the city of Mr. Crepsley's birth, so that he can take care of some.. personal matters. There, Ariel and Darren encounter murder, romance, and heartache.
1. Old Friend

**Note: **Welcome to part 3-4 to my Cirque Du Freak fanfic! I put up a freewebs site, which you can get to by clicking the link on my profile. There isn't really anything there at the moment, but the layout I found is pretty. c:

**Disclaimer: Darren Shan, Mr. Crepsley, Gavner Purl and all Cirque Du Freak Characters belong to Darren Shan.**

**Chapter I**

_The ground shook, and the earth split opened. Ariel lost her balance, and fell into the gap. She closed her eyes, feeling sick, thinking she would fall forever. But in a moment her body hit the ground, only somewhat sore. She stood, to find herself in some sort of tunnel. When looking up, the earth closed back up. There was nothing to do but keep walking. Arms reached out from the sides of the walls, grabbing for her. There was more than one occasion where they would get a grip on her arm, but she would shake them off. It seemed like she had been walking for years, but Ariel finally dropped to her knees, and accepted the tunnel never ended. The walls closed in around her, and the demons grabbed her, pulling her in._

There wasn't anything out of place this morning. Ariel threw a fit in her sleep, throwing her arms around, like the demons of hell were upon her, ready for war. She would then look around to find herself in a tent, Evra and I asleep (we were used to her noises by now), still in the Cirque Du Freak.

She threw her head up and gave an irritated sigh, then dropped back down to her sleeping bag.

-------------- --------------

I dragged my garbage bag behind me, studying the area for any signs of food for the Little People. I kneeled down, clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and a rat crawled from the garbage dump. It immediately scurried over to me, making it easy to squeeze its neck before throwing it into the bag. I sighed, feeling kind of bad for it. Rats and Vampires can get along easily, and if you call to them they'll come right over. But work is work, and the last thing I needed was hungry Little People.

"Bleh." Ariel muttered to herself, tossing some rats into her bag. She then moved aside some garbage, to find a box of kittens, and a mother cat.

She smiled when seeing the happy kittens, although cats and vampires _don't_ get along. When she was a human- or at least when she thought she was- she had always loved to play with kittens, even though they would scratch the hell out of her sometimes, because she always had vampire blood.

The mother cat looked to be half starving, and was probably hunting for rats. It must have smelt Ariel's vampiric blood, because it gave a deep, ominous grown, then reached out it's claws and made a few long, bloody scratched down her arm.

"Damn it," She slapped the cat aside, then rubbed some of the leaking blood from her arm, and put her hand in her mouth, then continued to search other animals.

Later that night, I returned to the tent but sat outside on a wide, flat stone, then picked up a stick and started to draw lines in the dirt.

"Bored?" A voice called from my right. I looked up to see Ariel and smiled. She sat down next to me on the rock.

"I was just thinking," She began, picking up a pebble. "You know that trick Mr. Crepsley showed us a few days ago?"

"I think so," I replied, trying to see what she was talking about.

"You know, the thing were he snapped his fingers, and the object in his hand jumped to his other hand." She explained.

"Oh, yeah, I know what you mean. What about it?"

"I can't do it," She sighed, the pebble in one hand. "I was think maybe it was just an-"

"What are you two doing?" Another voice from behind asked. We both looked up to see Mr. Crepsley. I had barely noticed the sun went down.

"Nothing," Ariel replied. "I was just talking about the trick you showed us the other day."

"Oh, you mean this?" He smiled, clicked his fingers, and the pebble disappeared from Ariel's hand, and reappeared in Mr. Crepsley's.

Ariel blinked, quiet for a moment, then smirked. "Do that one more time."

He held out both of his hands, the pebble in one, then suddenly in the other. For the split second in between, I caught a blur, and I understood.

"I get it!" I shouted my face lighting up. "The cross didn't move, you did!"

Mr. Crepsley smirked, nodding. "Not as dull as you seem." He said, in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Then what's the point of clicking your fingers?" I asked.

"To distract the eye."

Ariel was about to say something, but a laugh came out instead. "What's that weird breathing noise?"

"What?" I cocked a brow to her, and became quiet.

Mr. Crepsley chuckled. "An old friend must have come to visit."

"What?!" A voice called from the darkness.

"Gavner," Mr. Crepsley sighed. "The child could hear you from a mile away."

"Impossible," The stranger muttered. "How?"

"No one in the world breathes louder than you." Mr. Crepsley snorted. "Darren, Ariel, this is an old friend of mine, Gavner Purl."

"Pleased to meet you," He said, shaking my hand. He went to shake Ariel's, but stopped.

"This is…?"

Mr. Crepsley nodded.

He immediately bowed and took her hand, touching his lips to her skin, causing Ariel to blush. "Pleased.." His voice shook.

After standing, Gavner shared a glance with Mr. Crepsley. "She's younger than I thought she'd be.. I hope this doesn't mean we'll be experiencing any trouble in the near future."

"I would hope not." Mr. Crepsley replied.

Gavner sighed, then looked down at me, seeming to be the same as he'd been a few minutes ago.

"Did _you_ hear me coming?"

"No." I replied truthfully.

"Hear that?" He grinned, quite happy with himself. "He didn't hear me!"

"Congratulations." Mr. Crepsley replied dryly.

"As cheerful as ever." Gavner noted sarcastically.


	2. Personal Matters

**Chapter II**

Ariel and I listened intently as Mr. Crepsley and Gavner Purl discussed old times.

"Is everything well with the Vampire Generals?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

"Same old." Gavner replied. "They're eager of Ariel's homecoming."

Mr. Crepsley nodded, paused, and then turned to Ariel and I. "Gavner is a Vampire General." He explained. I immediately recalled a member of the Cirque mentioning a Vampire General. Ariel was apparently thinking the same thing I was, because she was the first to ask.

"_Vampire General?_" She questioned in a small voice. "What do they do?"

"Vampires Generals are somewhat like the law enforcement of the vampire clan. They make sure we don't break rules, like use our powers for evil." Mr. Crepsley answered.

"We keep an eye on crooks like this." He softly nudged Mr. Crepsley in the ribs with a chuckle.

Mr. Crepsley sighed. "Well, I knew you were to come sooner or later. Shall we retire to my van and discuss the manner in private?"

"I'm sorry?" Gavner raised a brow.

"I was very much expecting word to reach vampire clan. I had by no means whatsoever even thinking about hiding the boy-"

"Hiding the boy? What?" Gavner paused, then spun around and softly grabbed me by the wrists. He lifted my hand so that my fingers sprawled out, with his hand around my wrist.

Gavner stared at my fingertips for a moment, then let my hand drop back to my side, and turned away. I was surprised, this being the first time I had seen him without laughter in his eyes.

"He's.. _You blooded the boy?!_"

Mr. Crepsley scanned me for a moment, and then returned his look to Gavner. "I presumed you knew?"

Gavner sighed, then turned back to me and studied my eyes. He shook his head. "The vampire blood is weak in him.. He's only a half vampire."

"But of course." Mr. Crepsley returned.

"What, may I ask, were you_ thinking_?" Gavner snapped, and I finally saw the authority in his voice. Ariel and I exchanged a quick glance. "Did you decide on running around and just blooding children? And when did this happen?"

"I blooded Darren quite a while ago, over a year, at least. Why I did it is a long-"

"It.. was for good reason.." I assured. My suddenness surprised me, and everyone else grew quite in an instant.

Mr. Crepsley looked at me thoughtfully, yet almost sadly. I knew now that he was regretful for what he had done, and.. He wasn't a monster.

"I.." He looked back at Gavner, breaking the silence. "..Would have taken him to stand before the upcoming council, but I can see that that is unnecessary now that I have ran into a general."

"I'm not going to judge you," Gavner objected. "You can go see the council for that."

"Er, what is all this about being _judged_? And what is the council?" I spoke out again, extremely curious.

"I'll inform you later," Mr. Crepsley waved me aside without even turning to face me. "Very well. Tell me then, if you're not here to discuss the boy, than what brings you here?"

Gavner chuckled. "I'm not allowed to come visit my old friend Larten, just for old time's sake?"

"No," Mr. Crepsley replied jokingly, smirking. "Please, to the point."

Gavner Purl raised a fist to his mouth and coughed uncomfortably. "Well, I have come to discuss some.. Personal manners."

Mr. Crepsley nodded. "We can discuss this in my van." He turned to give Ariel and me a suspicious look. "I shall return later."

We watched as they walked away. Gavner had stopped walking, turned around, and gave us a blatant wink. "I'll tell you what happens later-"

"_Gavner!_" Mr. Crepsley snapped. Ariel and I laughed as he jumped up and followed Mr. Crepsley away.

Once they disappeared from sight, we were quiet for a moment.

"Come," Ariel whispered, jumping off of the rock where we had been sitting. I followed her down their path to the van. When we reached the familiar dwelling of Mr. Crepsley, she put her hand on the window and pressed her ear against the class, smirking.

"Ariel," I chuckled.

It was only a moment before the curtains behind the glass were pushed aside. We both fell to the ground at the same time, biting our lips to keep from giggling.

I soon heard Gavner's laughter from the inside of the van, and the sliding of the curtains being pushed back to the other side of the window.


	3. Vile Climate

**Chapter III**

Once the sun began to decline from the sky, Ariel and I decided to head back to the tent for the night. I tried to see if Evra knew anything useful about Vampire Generals and the council, or what it meant to be _judged_.

Ariel lay down on her side of the tent, listening to our conversation while she ran a fingertip down the wall.

"I've never even met a Vampire General," Evra rubbed his snake's head affectionately. "I'm really not the right one to be asking.."

Silence.

"What about the council?" Ariel asked, still looking at the wall as she let her hand drop.

"I think it's a really big meeting the vampire clan holds every ten or fifteen years. They get together and discuss issues." He answered.

"Do you know anything about being 'judged'?" I asked.

"Nope, sorry- that's all the information I have to offer."

It was getting late, so once the unsuccessful interrogation was over, we decided to go to bed.

----------------------- -----------------------

_5 A.M. in the morning_

"Hello?"

The voice caused Ariel to jump slightly. She looked around to see if Darren or Evra had been the source of the voice, but they were both sleeping. The noise hadn't bothered her at all, she was already awake beforehand, and couldn't fall back asleep.

She got onto her knees and pushed the door flap away. Gavner was standing outside.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked apologetically.

"Nah, I was already awake." Ariel answered, taking a step outside. The light of dawn had barely begun to blot the sky.

"It's hardly morning yet," He noted in a puzzled voice.

"Yeah, I've had some sleeping problems lately.."

"Care to take a walk with me?" Gavner asked, yawning and stretching his arms.

"Sure," She replied.

They spoke about the life of a vampire, things, like aging and what not. Ariel realized that if she wanted answers, now was her chance to get them.

"It wasn't Larten's choice to blood you," Gavner explained. "Because of fate, it was only his wish to save you and the vampire clan, but.. It was a mistake to blood Darren."

"I believe Darren was blooded for a reason.." Ariel replied. "I'm a strong believer in fate, since it seems that everything is connected; that each event is a product of the ones before it and everything happens for a reason, even if it's not a reason we agree with or can understand."

Gavner nodded in agreement. "That could be very true."

"But since it's classified as a mistake right now, does that have anything to do with Mr. Crepsley being judged?" She asked.

"Yeah. He'll have to plead innocent to the Princes, like a sort of trial."

Ariel nodded. "So.. What'll happen if he's found guilty?"

Gavner sighed. "Well.. I can't say for sure, but I doubt they'll go as far as to kill Larten. He's widely respected, and in fact, was once a General."

"Really?" Ariel raised a brow to this. _Now that was interesting_.

"He was about to be declared a prince before he stepped down."

"A _prince_?" She gasped.

"Yes, very few vampires are able to possess the title. Only the most noble and respected vampires can be chosen, and are only a rank below you."

"Why'd he give it up?" Ariel inquired.

"No one knows.."

Once they had passed all the town houses, Gavner slowed to a stop.

"So, you mentioned you were having sleeping problems earlier?" He turned back to face her.

"Yes."

His grim face caused her to frown. "How long as this been going on?"

"It started around the time I joined the Cirque.. Why?"

"I could just be a coincidence, but it might mean there is some.. trouble brewing. It's been said that when a vile climate begins to pervade the earth, it will cause nightmares to those who are sensitive to it.." He explained.

"I have been having nightmares.." She murmured.

Gavner sighed. "Look, it's probably nothing, so don't fret, okay?" He assured with a smile. "Unfortunately I have to go now, the life of a General is a busy one."

"Will I see you again..?" Ariel asked.

He kneeled down in front of her. "Definitely. I promise."

She smiled. "Alright."

Gavner stood back up. "I would have liked to stay and chat with Larten, but I really have to move. I think he'll be doing the same soon, anyway."

"Where to?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Sorry, that's a secret." He replied. "In fact, I've already said too much. You can tell Darren, but otherwise, let's keep this conversation between us- Okay?"

"What conversation?" She smirked.

Gavner laughed. "I like you." He nodded. "Stick with Larten- He's really the best teacher you could hope to find- and you'll make a great leader."

Ariel nodded, then stepped back and waved as he turned around- broke out into a jog- then reached flitting speed, in which he disappeared.


	4. Saying Goodbye

**Chapter IV**

It was roughly seven or eight when Ariel woke me up and enlightened me regarding her conversation with Gavner.

"Did you know Mr. Crepsley used to be a Vampire General?" She asked.

"Really?" I raised a brow.

"Yep. Gavner told me he was gonna be a Prince too, but he stepped down."

"A Prince?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's not like a regular human prince with a crown or anything." Ariel explained. "There are a few princes that are elected in the vampire clan. He said he doesn't know why Mr. Crepsley decided to be a normal vampire. No one knows."

"That's.. Odd. What about the _judging_ thing?" I inquired, praying she knew.

"I asked, he said that he'll have to plead innocent to the princes, like a trial." She replied, and I was glad that she remembered to ask. "Gavner said he doubts they'll go as far as to kill him, since he's very respected."

I nodded slowly. "They'll probably ask for your opinion, too, since you're the princess and all."

She shrugged. "Maybe. If so, we won't need to worry about him; either way I think he'll be fine."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Did he say anything else interesting?"

"Mhm, he hinted that we'll be leaving the Cirque soon.. Well, Mr. Crepsley will be, I don't know about us. I highly doubt he would leave us, though."

"Really? Where to?" I asked, surprised.

"I dono, Gavner wouldn't tell me. He said that he'd already told me too much."

We were quiet for a moment.

"Do you think we should go talk to Mr. Crepsley..?" I asked.

"Let's go." Ariel replied, standing up and leaving the tent. I got up and followed.

-------------- --------------

"Whatcha doin?" Ariel asked, entering the van and sitting at the empty chair by Mr. Crepsley, who was staring off into the distance. I followed his gaze to see what was so important, but he was just staring off into the shadows, with obviously a lot on his mind.

"I have to reflect on some news Gavner informed me of.." He answered vaguely. I sat down as well, seeing that answers were gonna be hard to get.

Ariel tapped her nails on the wooden surface of the table for a moment, then sat silently, waiting to see if he would say more, but he didn't. "What kind of news..?" She finally asked.

"It does not concern the two of you." He said. _Ugh, the end. _Ariel then looked at me as if to say, _back me up, _so I decided to ask more questions.

"Don't we have the right to know?" I sighed.

Mr. Crepsley was scratching the scar on the side of his face. "Fine, I will enlighten you, since you clearly will not leave me alone until I do."

Ariel smirked at me.

"We're leaving."

Our smiles dropped.

"What? Why?" I asked with disappointment, even though- in spite of the fact that I made myself believe Ariel and I would stay at the cirque- there had been doubt in my mind all along.

"Gavner brought unpleasant news, so we have to leave- I have my reasons." He replied stiffly, then stood. "I am going to go clear things up with Hibernius now, so pack your belongings, and see me before dawn. We must depart as soon as night falls."

-------------- --------------

After Ariel and I had Madam Octa taken care of, we began to pack our things. I packed my diary- of course- along with some clothes. Ariel packed her clothes that had been given to her by Truska awhile back, and helped me pack Mr. Crepsley's bag as well. All in all, we decided not to bring too much. After hours of packing and unpacking, saying goodbye to Evra and some others, we headed out at dusk.

"How will we get there?" I asked, once we had left the cirque. "Flitting?"

Mr. Crepsley shook his head. "I do not plan on flitting with both of you on my back again. We will catch a train or a bus, and save me the soreness."

"Oh." I replied simply. "We.. Can do that?" I asked, confused.

"Why not?" He laughed.

I shrugged. "Okay."

A few miles away from the Cirque, we found a city, and took the next train out. Ariel was yawning as we got on, and quietly fell asleep on Mr. Crepsley's shoulder after a few minutes, while he stared out the window. I was glad that there weren't a lot of people on board- Imagine if they found out they knew they were on a train with a vampire who was two hundred something years old, his half vampire assistant, and a vampire princess!


	5. Your Silly Holiday

**Disclaimer:** Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess belongs to Nintendo :D

**Chapter V**

Being in a city drove Ariel and I up a wall for the first few days. We stayed in a hotel, and although it was located on the quarter of a quiet city square, I stayed in bed all day with a thick pillow covering my head. Ariel probably did the same- I'm not sure- the only thing I noticed were her mood swings and the sounds of glass breaking every now and then. It was like that feeling you get, when your about to go down a roller coaster. You know- your stomach dropping, and then the sudden rush. Only this was thousands of times faster. Now I wonder: How in the world did Mr. Crepsley put up with us?

Ugh, I miss the Cirque Du Freak.

It got better after the first few days, though. Ariel and I both seemed to adjust at about the same time. Some days, however, I would just sit and look out the window, and watch kids play soccer while traffic was slow. It upset me- I missed childhood. I missed being a kid. But that was all behind me now, I already went through all that crap, and I was just gonna have to deal with it.

And, I did deal with it, because living in the city made me feel like a normal human again.

Ariel and I fell into a comfortable routine after the first week. We could sleep in and do what ever we wanted without a care in the world- We'd eat a huge breakfast, go out and explore the city, watch television and play video games. It definitely beat doing chores, that's damn sure.

One night, I was sitting on the couch, playing video games with Ariel- the kind that you rent. She was playing Twilight Princess, we were hanging out like we usually do, when she paused and looked at me.

"Darren.. Have you.. noticed that Mr. Crepsley hasn't been around one night since we got here?"

I noticed there was concern in her voice, so I looked at her and studied her frown. "He has been kinda weird.. Do you think it's anything to worry about?"

Ariel looked down the controller in her hands for a moment, considering the situation.

"Nah." She resumed the game, and we continued to just hang out, like we normally do. I guess the reason why neither of us seemed to care was because it was great to have Mr. Crepsley out of our hair.

-------------- --------------

It was the beginning of December, which brought thoughts of Christmas to mind. When I woke up at around one p.m., I saw Ariel sitting on the couch, in front of the television. I sat next to her, just in time to see the ending credits of whatever movie she'd been watching start to roll.

"I haven't watched TV in a while.." She said, handing me the remote. "It's nice, you know, to take a break. While you were sleeping and I was watching this movie, I began thinking about how I used to watch television all the time at my old place.."

I nodded, noticing how she used the word place, like usual. It seemed to me that the orphanage where Ariel grew up had some.. abusive adults there, which explains her shyness and stuff. She never called it by its name, just "that place."

She gave a slight laugh, but not a happy one- just a more, good humored-pissed-the-fuck-off laugh. "I know it probably sounds stupid, but I remember how they, amazingly, had one television set there. It was kind of like the baby-sitter, because no one else cared about you, so the TV kind of raised you.. Ugh, never mind me, I'm just rambling now. What was it you were going to tell me?"

"Huh?" I had been interested in what she was saying, but I never began to tell her something before she started speaking, so the question caught me off guard.

She brightened up, apparently, because she was giggling now, which made me light up too. "You came over here with that look in your eye, the one you get when your about to explode because you have so much to say."

"Oh," I laughed with her- It was pretty funny that she knew me so well. Anyway, back to what I was saying before- Christmas.

"I was just thinking, well, it's the beginning of December.."

"Yeeahh?"

"Annnd," I smiled. "Well, you know, it'll be Christmas soon- The hotel staff are gonna throw a big party, you know, with ham and turkey and stuff."

"Christmas.." Ariel repeated under her breath. She then shrugged carelessly. "I don't really give a crap about Christmas, Darren."

"What?" I exclaimed, surprised at her. "Why not?"

"Well.. I don't know, I guess I just have the memories of walking around in the snow, seeing bratty little children in front of store windows screaming about what they wanted. Everybody just wants to receive, and maybe sometimes.. I might look and see a few families all happy, because they have each other.. I wished I could have been them."

"You've never celebrated Christmas..?" I asked.

"No."

"Well, you should celebrate it with me, this year." I asked. She turned to face me, crossed her arms, and I had no choice but to resort to the puppy eyes.

Ariel laughed, looking up at the ceiling. "Aw, man, I do that to you all the time- I should have known you'd get me back!"

"Fine." She said, finally accepted defeat. "I'll celebrate your silly holiday with you."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me," I said sarcastically, striking a phony model pose. She started giggling again, pushing me over, and we both laughed.


	6. Down

**Note: **Sorry, the chapter song might not make sense at first, but it should by the end.**  
**

**Chapter Song: Down- Blink 182**

**Chapter VI**

"Gah! Darren!" Ariel squealed anxiously. I turned around to see her leaning against the window, holding the curtain aside. I had fell asleep and must have been out for a few hours, so the sudden noise confused me. I fell off of the couch, pulled myself back up and glanced around the room a few times before I realized what the commotion was about. I smiled, seeing nothing but frost on the other side of the window.

"Shhh, you'll wake up Mr. Crepsley up too." I warned.

"Sorry.." Ariel apologized, sinking back onto the couch. "I love when it snows outside."

"Oh, seriously?" I chuckled.

She smiled warmly for a moment, then got up, found her coat, and pulled it on. (We went shopping the other day- The clothes Truska gave us were okay, but Ariel insisted on going to the mall.) "I'm going out, you want anything from the store?" She called from the door.

"No thanks." I replied.

-------------- --------------

A cold, bitter wind blew across Ariel's face, her boots pressing in and out of the snow as she walked along the side walk. When she glanced to the other side of the street, she could see children building a snowman, and throwing snow balls. It caused her lips to curve into a smile, and delight to sparkle in her eyes.  
By the time she had reached her destination, tiny snowflakes were dotting Ariel's slightly damp blonde hair. She looked into the window of the store, awed at the Christmas decorations that lit inside.

_The drops of rain they fall all over  
This awkward silence makes me crazy  
The glow inside burns light upon her  
I'll try to kiss you if you let me (this can't be the end)_

When she got out of the store holding a shopping bag, the streets seemed to be more quiet. Before, they had been filled with a silent joyfulness. Now.. It was just nothing. Ariel wasn't cold, considering the fact that she was a vampire, but a shiver ran up her spine. Oh, man. It was that feeling, that horrible sinking feeling that something wasn't right. She hadn't had that feeling since the night Valinty had died. Only, this time.. Well, it was different. It was more of a being watched feeling.  
Ariel never got home faster than she did that day.

-------------- --------------

I decided I should probably get Ariel a Christmas present, since she was the only one who was celebrating the holiday with me.  
Being a guy, buying presents really wasn't my thing. I had gotten some things for others back when I was human, but.. This was a lot harder. I mean, what do you get for someone who's smile makes you melt inside? I know, I'm being really mushy and I hate it, but I just have no idea what to get her. Nothing seemed special enough for her. Heh, Mr. Crepsley was all suspicious when I asked him for all that money. He's loaded, so he doesn't care how much I take- I just didn't want him to know I'm spending that wad of cash he gave me on Ariel. Ugh, okay, okay- Girls obviously love jewelery right? I know that much. I think I wanna get her..

I don't know I dont know I dont knoww.

_Tidal waves they rip right through me  
Tears from eyes worn cold and sad  
Pick me up now, I need you so bad_

Well, I eventually came to a seemingly good store. The guy inside raised a brow at me when I came in, I told him I just needed to find something for a girl, so he started showing me earrings and things. After a while, he suggested I try somewhere else, so I left. Nothing seemed to be special enough.

It was dark by the time I neared the hotel, and when I shoved my hands into my pocket, I didn't find my key card for our room. Ariel is probably asleep by now- she was tired today- and Mr. Crepsley is most likely out. Good thing our room is on the first floor above the lobby.  
Running over to the side of the hotel, I grabbed a fence that covered the brick, and started to climb. Hopefully no one would see me looking for my window.. But finally I spotted our stuff, looked into a window, and leaned against the fence. Praying I wouldn't fall, I quickly placed my hands on the bottom of the glass, and tried to push it up, but it was locked.  
Why do I always act before I think?  
Thank god, Ariel passed the window, but I knocked on the glass when she didn't see me. Immediately looking my direction, her facial expression was confused, than normal. By the time she got to the window, she was giggling.

"Do I wanna know?" She asked, after unlocking the window and pushing it up.

_Down down down down x4  
It gets me so Down down down down x4  
It gets me so_

I smirked. "Forgot my key card."

Ariel looked up at the ceiling and laughed, than placed her elbows on the window sill and rested her head in her hands. "How romantic!" She sighed, jokingly.

_Your vows of silence fall all over  
The look in your eyes makes me crazy  
I feel the darkness break upon her  
I'll take you over if you let me (You did this)_

"Ariel!" I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Let me in!"

"Okay, okay, hold your horses.." She laughed.

As soon as Ariel started to back away, my foot slipped off the fence, but I went forward instead of backwards and knocked her down. I put my arm's in front of me so I didn't hit the floor, or fall on her- But I almost did. As a matter of fact, it came so close that her lips smashed into mine. I expected her to scream and roll away. She didn't, though.. It seemed everything, time itself, had frozen.  
_ Oh my god, what is going on?_  
When everything going on in my head was about to drive me crazy, they all disappeared, and I felt like I was going to melt right there on the floor. As sudden the kiss was, it was.. nice.. I slowly pulled my head away after what seemed like forever.

_Tidal waves they rip right through me  
Tears from eyes worn cold and sad  
Pick me up now, I need you so bad._

"I'm so sorry!" I sat up and took a deep breath, suddenly back to reality. My face was beat red! Ariel was blushing too, looking down and pulling strands of hair away from her face.

"It's okay.." She replied softly.

I looked up into her eyes, running a hand through my hair, and smiled awkwardly. She returned the smile.

_Down down down down x4  
It gets me so Down down down down x4  
It gets me so_


	7. Jumping To Conclusions

**Note**: Just so you guys know, Touché is pronounced two-shay. That is all :D

**Chapter VII**

Ariel treaded the hallways quietly, as quiet as a mouse. It was midnight- she could see the light casted down from the twilight moon, on the wall across the single window. Everything else was black. Still, it didn't matter to her- She could see perfectly, and as a matter of of fact, twilight was her favorite time in the twenty four hour day. It was so peaceful..

She snapped out of her day dream once realizing that the door to room 315 was open ajar. _What an idiot.. _Ariel though to herself, shaking her head. Still- It was the perfect opportunity to feed. In seconds she was on the other side of the hall, sneaking into the door like a cat. Once inside, she tip-toed her way over to a man's bed, by window with the curtains pulled aside.

Her sharp nails dug into the flesh of his arm, causing crimson blood to immediately blot on his skin. Delight tingled down Ariel's spine once pressing her lips to the wound, letting the metallic flavor trickle down her throat.

But even blood wouldn't replace the distinct tingle on her lips, the taste that still lingered from a few hours back, when Darren had kissed her on mistake. It was awkward, but she had secretly enjoyed it. Every time she though back to that moment, her stomach filled with butterflies. Ariel stopped sucking blood, leaned back, and allowed the memory to play over and over again in her mind, like a broken record.

The blood that was leaking out of the stranger's arm suddenly pulled her back into reality. With a quick swipe, she caught the drop before it stained the bed, licked the rest off, and used her spit to close the cut.

"Too goddamn close.." She whispered. As soon as the words escaped her throat, something orange outside caught her eye. _The hell? _Ariel placed her hands on the window by the bed and leaned against the glass, fixing her eyes on the distinct color outside, amongst the darkness.

After a brief moment, she recognized Mr. Crepsley's hair. He was chasing after something, which struck her as odd. Was he chasing after somebody? What was going on?

Should she go after him? Nah, it was too late. Mr. Crepsley was long gone by now. Ariel eyed the window for a moment, suspiciously, than turned around and left.

-------------- --------------

I sat up in bed and yawned, stretched my arms, and let them drop back to my sides. After staring in to space for a brief moment, I realized Ariel was sitting near me, watching TV, and I remembered what had happened last night. I fell out of bed, shocked by the sudden memory, and embarrassed by the awkwardness that I knew would come. But she didn't notice me, or giggle like she usually does when I do something stupid. It was like I was invisible, because she didn't even _realize_ I was _there_. Her eyes were glued to the television.

"Oh my god.." Ariel murmured.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked around to see what she was talking about. I wasn't sure if I should speak or not, because I was kind of scared of her, and what she would do. I didn't want things to be awkward between us.

"Oh. my. god." Was the only thing she could say. Her expression was confused, and for some odd reason, scared. But it was because of whatever she was watching on TV.

"What?" I finally inquired.

"Darren, look at this.." She whispered.

I sat next to her, puzzled by what was going on, and why she didn't seem to remember what had happened last night. But that all went away when I glanced at the news. I could see what was bothering her.

"..Several bodies were discovered in an abandoned building by police, all of them seemingly victims of a serial killer or sacrificial cult. All of the bodies found shared the same bizarre wounds and conditions."

"Could you explain once again what those conditions were?" The anchorman asked.

The reporter nodded and cleared her throat. "The victims, who appeared to be _drained_ of their blood, all have slit throats. The blood was possibly sucked or pumped dry, but only the police can answer that."

"Or the murderer.." I whispered.

Ariel muted the television and looked at me, her eyes filled with worry. "Darren, I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"Last night, I looked out a window and I saw Mr. Crepsley. He was chasing after something, I think, but I couldn't do anything about it because he was gone instantly."

I stared at her for a moment, at first shocked, but then pissed off. "No wonder why Mr. Crepsley has been out every night-"

"Without telling us anything." Ariel finished.

-------------- --------------

I was so angry, I stormed around the hotel room screaming and throwing my fists in the air and cursing Mr. Crepsley off, while Ariel watched me in silence, mostly hiding behind the couch.

"I'll kill that son of a bitch!" I screamed. "I drive a stake right through his cold-blooded heart, chop his head off, light him on fire, and throw him into a river!"

"We can never be too sure," Ariel commented, sarcastically.

"Ariel..." I eyed her. How could she joke at a time like this?

"Darren, we can't jump to conclusions.." She crawled out from behind the safety of the bed, deciding it was safe. "Maybe it wasn't Mr. Crepsley."

"If it wasn't Mr. Crepsley, than who else could it possibly be? Who else?!"

Ariel looked down, paused a brief moment, and then sighed. "I don't know, maybe it was some insane lunatic pumping the blood out of people's bodies."

I shot her a skeptical look.

"Okay, probably not.. But Mr. Crepsley wouldn't kill innocent people.." She said sadly. "He wouldn't!"

"You don't know that for a fact." I replied.

"You don't know that Mr. Crepsley killed anyone for a fact either!" She returned.

"..Touché ."

"Look, there's only one way we can find out for sure." Ariel's tone and facial expression were dead serious.

"I'm listening.."


	8. Innocent Until Proven Otherwise

**Note:** I haven't updated a lot recently due to technical difficulties with my Internet. ..

However, I'll be working alottt on new chapters. Actually, I intend to have quite a few done everyday, because my older brother just passed away last night, and I don't think anything is gonna detract me from the FF. I don't feel like doing anything else. Um.. Yeah so don't do drugs people

Alright well thanks to my readers for everything, hope you enjoy.

**Chapter VIII**

I mulled the thought over in my head, considering Ariel's idea. She had suggested tracking him down every night, and see where he goes and what he does.

"He's innocent until proven otherwise, Darren." She was dead serious. "If there's any doubt _at all_, we can't kill him. We have to be sure, and if we do have to kill him, than we both have to agree first. If you try to kill Mr. Crepsley without my approval, then I'll stop you no matter what. Agreed?"

"Agreed." I said. "But I have a bad feeling that it's gonna be Mr. Crepsley."

"I hope you're wrong.." Ariel sighed. I agreed with her, too. We've both been with Mr. Crepsley for awhile and were starting to grow used to him- Especially Ariel, she was attached. Killing him is the last thing I would want to do.

"I know, I hope I'm wrong too. Let's just keep watching the news, and if we're lucky they'll find out the killer was just some wack job whose watched way to many vampire movies."

-------------- --------------

The next day passed by painfully slow, because we knew what was in store for that night. However, when Mr. Crepsley left at sundown, we had a hard time shadowing him. He shot up a fire shoot, and by the time we got up there, was no where to be found. That's when we realized how difficult it would be to track him down.

Ariel and I went out the next morning and purchased cell phones, then tested them out at dusk. We decided that one of us would stay on the rooftops and shadow Mr. Crepsley while the other would tread on ground.

"So whose going where?" I asked, while sitting on the couch. Ariel sat down next to me.

"Rock paper seizors shoot?"

-------------- --------------

That night, Ariel positioned herself on the rooftop while I stayed on the streets. That was better anyway, since she was faster than me, and would need to be.

Well, to make a long story short, we weren't able to shadow him that night either. Or the next, or the next, or the next. Ariel was good at keeping up with him, but not good enough. A few days later, the news we had been watching announced that the victims were all normal humans.

"Damn!" Ariel threw the remote down. It would have been easier if the victims were actual vampires- that would make more sense- but nothing ever comes easy to us, huh? Things always get worse..

Okay, me and my big mouth, because things most definitely got worse a few days later, when Mr. Crepsley targeted his latest victim- the fat man.

-------------- --------------

It was dark, but Ariel could easily see everything that was going on. Her eyesight was sharp, her hearing was equivalent to a bat- She didn't miss a thing, but that didn't matter at the moment. She sat on a rooftop besides Mr. Crepsley's, staying low, watching carefully. He was clinging to a building, watching a crowd of people in a busy shopping street, where he'd been for almost an hour.

Suddenly, without warning, he climbed to the top and started across the roof. Ariel immediately speed-dialed Darren. He picked up on the first ring.

"He's on the move."

"Thank god!" Darren shouted into the receiver. "My legs are starting to fall asleep."

"Go get something to eat." Ariel told him. "He's moving pretty slow, you can take five or ten minutes off."

"You sure?"

"I got this." She replied.

"Alright, call me back as soon as anything happens, alright?"

"Alright, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later." She flipped the phone closed and started after Mr. Crepsley. After a brief moment, Ariel could tell something was different. Usually, Mr. Crepsley just wandered without purpose. He was after something right now. She was pretty sure he was following somebody.

She started to get curious, and decided to get closer. It was pretty dangerous, since he might see her, but Ariel decided to take the risk. After closing the gap by a third, she noticed he was now watching someone down on the street.

Ariel crawled to the edge of the roof and then looked down. She couldn't make anything out until a plump man paused under a street light, and knelled down to tie his shoe. When the fat man stood up and continued down the sidewalk, Mr. Crepsley surely followed. Ariel whipped her cell-phone out again and speed dialed Darren.

"Yeah?" He answered, his mouth obviously stuffed with food.

"Code red," She whispered into the receiver.

Darren made a slight chocking sound while pausing to swallow his food. "Oh hell, are you positive?"

"One hundred percent." She replied. "The prey has been targeted. Mr. Crepsleys on the move."

"Position?"

Ariel craned her neck to read a nearby street sign, than gave him the name.

"Alright, I'm on my way."

"Make sure neither of them see you!" She hissed.

"I will!" He replied before hanging up.


	9. Predator

**Chapter IX**

Ariel followed the prey and the suspect until they neared a large building, into which the fat man disappeared. Mr. Crepsley waited about half an hour until circling the building, then checking all the windows and doors.

She kept her distance and an eye on him, observing closely, and was ready to race in after him if her entered.

But he didn't. Mr. Crepsley picked a rooftop on which he had a perfect view to all the entrances of the building, and just sat there.

Ariel called Darren and told him what was going on.

"He's just sitting there?" Darren inquired. "What kind of place is it?"

She paused to sniff the air. It reeked of dead animals and blood. "Slaughter house."

"I'm coming up."

"Hurry up," She replied. "If Mr. Crepsley goes in and you're not here, I won't wait for you."

"Okay, okay, I'm hurrying." He clicked the phone off.

-------------- --------------

I arrived at the slaughter house a few minutes after the phone call, and made my way up a building carefully so Mr. Crepsley wouldn't see me. Ariel was waiting for me at the rooftop, lying stomach down. I made my way over by crawling.

"You see him?" I asked once I was besides Ariel.

She pointed to a faraway figure on one of the other rooftops. "Over there."

"I see."

We sat quietly, not wanting Mr. Crepsley to hear us. It was freezing and about three in the morning when the plump man appeared. Mr. Crepsley immediately began to follow him. That's when I realized that he was gonna have to pass us on his way back.

Ariel and I both looked at each other at the same time with an expression of panic, obviously thinking the same thing. We didn't have enough time to get back down to the street.

"Oh shit!" I mouthed to her

"I have an idea.." She whispered back.

-------------- --------------

Mr. Crepsley jumped to the rooftop and started across it, following the fat man. A quiet noise to his left stole his concentration, so he looked over for a brief moment to see if someone was watching him.

There was no one to be seen.

He shrugged it off and continued to the next rooftop, following the fat man.

-------------- --------------

After waiting a moment, I looked down at the street far, far under me, and then pulled myself up. Ariel also decided to stop hanging onto the edge of the roof, and pulled herself up as well.

"That was close." She drew in a large amount of air and sighed. We were holding a breath when he passed by

"Too close.." I agreed, crawling away from the edge of the roof and sighing.

"You'd better get back down to the street." Ariel told me.

"Right," I replied, and began to slip down the nearest fire escape.

Ariel followed Mr. Crepsley back they way they had came, to a block of apartments. She realized that the fat man lived in one of the central apartments on the sixth floor. Mr. Crepsley waited for the lights to go off inside, and then took the elevator in. She raced up the stairs and observed from the far end of the landing.

Instead of Mr. Crepsley opening the door and entering (locks were no problem for him), like Ariel had expected, he just checked the doors and windows, and then got on the elevator and left.

Puzzled, Ariel turned around and ran down the stairs as she got her cell phone back out and dialed Darren, and told him what had happened.

-------------- --------------

I caught up with Ariel, and we started to follow Mr. Crepsley as he jogged down the street. When he turned into an alley way, we heard a women gasp, and then become quiet. My heart jumped up into my throat and without thinking my feet dove toward the turn to the alley way.

Before I got anywhere, Ariel grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me behind a building.

"What are you doing? He's about to kill someone!" I hissed at her.

"Shh!" She put a finger up to her lips. "No he's not, he's just feeding."

"How do you know?"

"I heard him knock her out.. Darren, just please trust me, we have to take advantage of his break so that we can get back to the hotel before he does." She whispered. "Or do you wanna explain to him where we were?"

I sighed. She was right, too- I could tell. "Okay, let's hurry up."

-------------- --------------

"I wonder why he never went into the hotel room after that man?" I asked, once we were back at the hotel room.

Ariel laid down on the couch. "I know, I don't see why he couldn't have just unlocked-" She paused, because both of us could hear footsteps down the hall, outside our room. We both closed our eyes and pretended to be asleep while Mr. Crepsley came in and laid down. A moment later, Ariel and I both opened our eyes.

"_We'll find out!_" She mouthed to me.


	10. The Slaughter House

**Chapter X**

The next day, before dusk fell, Ariel went to the block of apartments while I stayed home, in order to follow Mr. Crepsley.

The vampire woke up as soon as I sat down to eat the meal that Ariel had prepared before leaving. He smelled the air and smirked, like he usually does when she makes food.

"Where is Ariel?" He asked, diving into the food.

"Shopping." I replied, amazing myself at how quickly I came up with a good answer. Ariel _always_ goes shopping.

"I see."

Mr. Crepsley left as soon as he was done eating, and I left immediately after him. But that night, Mr. Crepsley did the same thing he had the night before. And he did it again, the night after that.

It was on the night of December twenty-second when I had a bad feeling. Ariel said she had the same feeling, too.

We were sitting on the roof where we usually waited- Ariel and I. I had told her I was gonna rest my eyes- they were tired after the long hours of concentration, but I fell asleep next to her.

My arm was being shaken so hard that I was sure it was close to falling off when I jolted awake. Ariel was the one with her hand around my wrist, trying to wake me up.

"Huh what?!"

"Look! Mr. Crepsleys going in!"

I looked around in confusion for a moment until Ariel pointed to a window on the slaughterhouse, which Mr. Crepsley was wrestling open. My heart began to beat quickly, and in a brief moment we had hurried over to the open window, Ariel shoving me in.

"Look," Ariel whispered faintly, pointing at the floor. The tiles were covered in dust, in which you could clearly see Mr. Crepsley's footprints. We followed them for awhile, down a corridor and a flight of stairs, careful not to make any noise. Suddenly, Ariel put her arm out in front of me, which caused me to come to an abrupt stop.

I gave her a confused look, and she pointed to a familiar red cape. I could see the vampire's body tucked behind a pile of boxes, waiting silently, and I could hear footsteps that grew closer by the second.

The plump man walked in through a door, looking down at a clipboard in his hand, while whistling. He paused, lifted one of the papers on the clipboard so that he could read the paper under that one, and then allowed the lifted paper to drop. He then continued to a large, automated door, and pressed a button on the wall besides it. With a sharp, grinding noise, it gradually opened. He hung the clipboard on a hook on the wall, then entered. The door closed at the same slow pace it had came up.

Mr. Crepsley darted over to the door and slid underneath while it was closing.

"Go go go!" Ariel whispered. I did the same as Mr. Crepsley had, and Ariel followed- the door barely touching her face.

The room was freezing cold, and dead animals hung on silver hooks all over the ceiling. The stench of blood filled my nose, making me sick.

"I think I'm gonna puke.." Ariel grimaced.

"_Don't even think about it!_" I snapped, which made her chuckle quietly.

While we quietly trailed the room full of animal carcases, I trembled at the feel of rust against my skin, from the knife hiding underneath my shirt. I had found it the other night, at the back of the slaughterhouse, and planned on using it to kill Mr. Crepsley, if I had to. I decided on not telling Ariel about it, she would probably hate me and believe that I _wanted_ to kill Mr. Crepsley. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to use it.

The plump man stopped to examine one of the dead animals that hung from the ceiling, then gave it a slap with his gloved hand. The carcass slowly rocked back and fourth while the silver hook on which it was hanging from made an eerie creaking noise that made a shiver run down my spine. He than took a few more steps, which Mr. Crepsley shadowed, but then paused. Something on the ground must have caught his attention, because he bent over to study it. Ariel grabbed my arm, pulling me back, probably afraid that the fat man would see our feet- But I pulled away when Mr. Crepsley began to close in on his victim.

I swore under my breath and raced forward, pretty sure that Ariel wasn't following. If Mr. Crepsley wasn't so concentrated on the human, he would have heard me. I was sure that the vampire was planning on killing the fat man now, so I withdrew my rusty knife, and waited until Mr. Crepsley made a move. I could see Ariel's wide eyes and awe struck gaze in the slight reflection of the blade.

After the few minutes that seemed like hours, the man finally stood, which caused Mr. Crepsley's body to tense. I heard him hiss as well, so I raised my knife. The fat man must've heard it, too, because he looked up- wrong way, idiot!- That's when Mr. Crepsley lunged. I was unprepared, even though I had been anticipating the move. If I had only leaped the exact moment Mr. Crepsley had, then I would've been able to slash his throat like I had planned. The split second that I hesitated for messed me up, though. When I leaped, I gave a loud screech- partly because I wanted to scare the vampire out of his attack, partly because I was horrified by what I was doing.

Mr. Crepsley's body whipped around, eyes widened in shock. He crashed awkwardly into the fat man so that they both collapsed. I jumped onto Mr. Crepsley and struck with my knife, not caring where it went. The rusty blade thrust into the flesh of his left arm, causing the vampire to roar in pain. He attempted to shove me off him, but I pushed him down. He was in a difficult position, his extra weight and strength no use to him. I drew my arm far back, clutching the handle of my knife, ready to deal the deadly strike.

When I pulled my arm back, it connected with someone who must have somehow dropped from above, and prevented me from making the lethal strike. The stranger shrieked when my arm struck him, and had rolled away. It took me by surprise, so I forgot the vampire for a moment, and looked over my shoulder. I couldn't really see who the mysterious person was- besides the fact that he was a man- until he got up. His appearance frightened me: The creature was a tall, thin, young man with wide shoulders. He was wearing a white suit that was flawlessly clean, besides the smudges of dust and blood that he just picked up from the floor. In complete contrast to his white suit were skin, hair, eyes, lips, and nails.

His skin was an intense violet, and the rest were all a crimson color, as if drenched in blood. His ruby lips pulled back over his sharp, snarling teeth, in a sneer. What intimidated me the most, however, was the madness that pervaded his unnatural red eyes. This man, I knew, was pure evil. And he looked at me with an intent to kill.

From behind, I could hear Mr. Crepsley cursing, and scrambling to his feet. But I couldn't move. I was frozen stiff. The next thing I know, the mad man standing in front of me had a sharp, glimmering dagger in his hand. One second he's laughing, and the next he's coming at _me!_

I couldn't run or move at all. But right before he drove his knife into my flesh, something or someone threw me out of the way. I slid into a wall.

Ariel was standing in front of me- her eyes more red and frightening than the mysterious creature's. I tried to call her name, but the words wouldn't form in my throat. My mouth was too dry. Looking into those eyes (I could've sworn they were about to brim over with blood) Made me think that wasn't the Ariel I knew. But it was- she had just saved my life!

The smile was wiped right off of the man's face. His eyes widened in shock, and his mouth opened in awe. "Red eyes.." I think I heard him say, quietly.

Ariel charged at the creature at a speed no normal human could reach, but the creature did the same to her. With his extra weight, he sent Ariel flying into Mr. Crepsley, who had just got up. He fell back down, and began to get back onto his feet. Ariel immediately went back at the mysterious man, but he lashed out at her in a panic. With luck, he hit her right on the side of the cheek, which caused her to collapse.

The creature mounted a carcass and made his way up to the ceiling, (which I now noticed was made of windows) shrieking the whole way up like a mad man, then broke the glass and disappeared into the night.


	11. Her Keeper

**Note:** I find it funny how the actual series and this fan fic always refer to the slaughterhouse victim as the "fat man." xD Okay sorry, continue.

**Chapter XI**

"No!" Mr. Crepsley screamed. He had regained himself, and was now making his way up to the ceiling after the stranger. But it was too late- he had gotten away. I crawled over to Ariel's side and lifted her head. She had taken a powerful blow, with a dark, large bruise on her cheek to prove it. Thankfully, the mysterious creature didn't do as much to her as he intended to do to me. Her stomach slowly raised, then fell, and continued.

The vampire was back on the dusty, bloody floor now, going after the fat man who was crying like a baby and trying to crawl away. Mr. Crepsley pulled him up and glared into the man's face. I was sure he was going to kill him.

"Stop!" I screamed.

But Mr. Crepsley didn't have any desire to kill the human. Instead, he just breathed into the man's face. He let go and allowed the fat man to stumble to the floor, then turned to me with an immense rage, the likes of which I have never seen.

I held Ariel closely, afraid for my own life now.

He came over and picked me up, allowing me to drop Ariel, and started shaking me like I was a rag doll.

"You moron! You meddling imbecile!" He continued to call me every insult possible, making to no effort to disguise his disgust, while violently shaking me at the same time. "Do you have any idea what you have just done? Do you?!"

I was stunned, and had no idea what to do or say. "I was trying to.. I thought.." I don't even know if he could hear me, my voice was so weak.

"He escaped! I almost had him and you destroyed everything with your meddling! Because of you, I have allowed an insane murderer to slip through my fingers!" Mr. Crepsley screamed. There was clearly more he wanted to throw in my face, and seemingly rip my limbs apart, but the the rage seized him. He let go of me, letting me collapse to the floor, and then sank to his knees.

Instead of getting up, I just laid on the ground where he dropped me, listening to the vampire's curses and groans. Ariel and I had make a horrible mistake. After a moment of awkward silence, I pushed myself up, and made my way over to Mr. Crepsley. (Hopefully he wouldn't shake me again- My body still hurt!) He had stood back up by now, and was brushing dust of his cloak.

I cleared my throat. "Who was that...?"

Mr. Crepsley turned to glare at me. "You moron!" He shouted, obviously ignoring my question. "What were you doing here?"

I sighed. _Well, explaining this should be fun. _"Well, I saw on the news that several bodies had been found, drained of blood-"

"I am well aware." Mr. Crepsley growled.

"Okay, well, I was trying to stop you from killing that man over there," I explained, pointing to the unconscious fat man. "Because-"

"Please do not tell me: you believed I was the murderer?!" He gave a short laugh. "You are dumber than I thought!"

"What was I supposed to think?!" I cried. "Every night you mysteriously disappear into the city, and you keep everything to yourself! What was I supposed to think when bodies were found missing, drained of their goddamn _blood_? That it was a _coincidence_?!"

He looked surprised, at first, then considerate, and then nodded. "You are entirely correct. This is all my fault- I must trust if I want to be trusted. I only wished to spare you the gruesome details."

I sighed. "That's okay. I.. shouldn't have come after you like that." When his eyes shifted to the rusty knife on the floor, my face turned slightly red.

"You intended to kill me?"

I chuckled nervously.

He looked away- and to my surprise- began to laugh and shake his head. "Master Shan, you are a bold young man. But I do admire that in such a youth, which is why I wanted you as my assistant."

I smiled.

Mr. Crepsley made his way over to Ariel, and scooped her up in his arms. "Let me guess: She was in on this too, was she not?"

I nodded slowly.

He chuckled, but the smile faded away. "The purple skinned creature- his name is Murlough. He mistook you for me somehow, and tried to kill you, correct?"

"Ariel saved me."

Mr. Crepsley nodded. "The prophecy of the Vampire Clan says the leader of my people is an unusually strong vampire who will fight to protect the clan. Legend has it that the true princess possesses the ability to gain unspeakable strength when someone she feels spiritually attached to is in danger." He looked down at Ariel with affection, and brushed a stray piece of golden hair from her eye, so the bruise was completely revealed. "When ever she taps into that power, her soul fills with rage that possesses her body, which causes her eyes to temporarily turn a blood red."

Ariel and you are close, correct?"

I nodded.

"Remember this: You two are entwined by the threads of destiny. She will risk her life to save you, as you would for her, I am sure."

"Any time."

"If there is one thing that Ariel and I know for a fact about you, Darren Shan," He paused to smirk. "Is that you will charge into things without considering them. You need Ariel, so that she may keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble. And Ariel just simply needs you."

I was chosen to seek the princess and return her safely home, so she will be able to rule our people. As long as I am breathing, Ariel will return home safely- I was chosen to be her guardian. And even though I do love her, it is most important that you keep watch on her. You will be Ariel's keeper, as she has placed her complete trust in you.." He paused. The fat man began to stir.

"Come. We must head back to the hotel, before the human discovers us."

"But- you only told me the man's name was Murlough- you never told me what he was or why he was here!"

"Very well, I will discuss this with you as soon as Ariel awakes. Now, let us take our leave, please."

And I followed the vampire, into the night, back to out hotel. I was still embarrassed, and knew that I had probably made a fatal mistake.. But Mr. Crepsley's words still rung in my thoughts:

_"You will be Ariel's keeper, as she has placed her complete trust in you." _


	12. The Vampaneze Murderer

**Note: **I've decided to do only one book for each fanfic from now on, so instead of each FF being Books 3-4, ect, they'll just be one book at a time- so they'll be longer that way.

**Chapter XII**

Ariel awoke once we got back to our hotel, so I informed her that Mr. Crepsley wasn't the murderer while we rode the elevator, and he would explain the rest once we got to our room.

"This is going to be a lengthy story, so listen well." Mr. Crepsley informed us once we walked into our hotel room.

"Murlough."

"That is is the name of the creature who we encountered at the slaughterhouse." He paused. "Murlough is the murderer, and is known as a _vampaneze_."

"It'd be great to see him again- I'd definitely like to knock some of his teeth out.." Ariel growled. She rubbed the bruise on her face and winced.

"In olden days," Mr. Crepsley continued. "Humans feared vampires and looked upon them as demons or cold blooded monsters, because it was common for us to drink dry from them. The Vampire Generals, however, eventually decided that this was unnecessary, and passed laws against the excess killing. Most vampires obeyed, as they felt it was easier to be unnoticed by humans. But some vampires felt the need to rebel, as they believed that the humans only purpose on earth were for us to feed upon them- As if they were slaves, and condemned to a fate of being sucked dry."

"That's dumb!" I shouted. "Vampires started out as humans! They can't just go around-"

"No.. It's not really dumb," Ariel said. "Even though I don't entirely agree with it, I can still see their point."

"The disobedient vampires believed it was shameful to only take small amounts of blood when feeding, like a leech." Mr. Crepsley explained. "But they though it was noble to drain a person and keep their spirit and blood alive forever,"

"Like when we drank from Valinty.." Ariel added.

"Correct." He replied. "So the rebellious vampires broke away from our clan- seventy to be exact- and established their own, and called themselves the Vampaneze. The vampire clan, who disagreed with the vampaneze's ways, declared war on them. A countless amount of vampaneze died, and quite a few vampires did as well, but our side was winning. Once we were close to victory, the humans that we were trying to protect got in the way." He smiled bitterly.

"Huh?" I asked.

"The humans fought back once the vampaneze began to slaughter them. They were frightened. Unfortunately, they could not tell the difference between vampires and vampaneze, so both were tracked down and killed. We could have dealt with the vampaneze alone, but both were too much. Before we were wiped out, the princes met with the vampaneze leaders. They finally agreed that the vampires would stop attacking the vampaneze if the vampaneze would stop murdering freely, only kill when they needed to, and do their best to hide their victims from society. The truce was successful. Once the humans realized that they were safe, they ceased to attack us. Then, the vampaneze traveled as far away from us a possible."

"Time has changed the vampaneze." He went on. Ariel and I listened closely. "You saw the purple skin and red features that Murlough possesses, did you not?"

We nodded.

"Most vampaneze are not as colorful as Murlough, for he has been consuming dangerously large amounts of blood, but none the less, they still have similar markings. Decades after the human is converted into a vampaneze, the purple and red color starts to set in, because of the large amounts of blood that they have drank in that amount of time."

"So that's how vampires got their bad reputations for killing?" I asked. "Because of the vampaneze?"

"No." Mr. Crepsley replied. "You are saying they are evil, but they are not."

"But they kill when they drink!" I cried.

"Those are their beliefs. I do not agree with them, but I can understand them."

"I still think they're evil.." I protested.

"To humans, they are, but to vampires they are simply misdirected cousins. You are a part of the vampire clan now, so you must accept the fact that they are kin. Instead of hating the vampaneze, try to pity them."

"They _do_ have their noble points." He added. "Vampaneze can never speak a lie, as they will always stick by their word. They will never kill a victim in his or her house, either, which is where the myth that vampires are unable to enter a house unless they are invited inside, originated from."

"So what's with Murlough?" Ariel inquired. "Why is he drinking more blood than he's supposed to? Is that why you were trying to kill him?"

Mr. Crepsley nodded. "Murlough is different. Insanity has taken over his mind, so he is no longer able to hold back the urge to kill. He must feed his lunatic lust. Had he been a vampire, he would have been judged by the Generals and executed. The vampaneze, however, look upon their less fortunate members more kindly. If a vampaneze looses his mind, then he will be ejected from their ranks and set loose to society, rather than killed. They would be murdered by humans sooner or later, anyway."

"But Murlough is craftier than most. He still has enough sense to keep a low profile, kill quietly, and hide the bodies. That is why he has lasted so long." He replied.

"Oh!" Ariel shouted. "So _that's_ why you never entered the man's apartment room! Because you knew that Murlough couldn't enter."

Mr. Crepsley nodded.

"But how did you know that he was going to attack the fat man?" I asked.

"Vampaneze are traditionalists: They will always select their victims in advance by sneaking into the human's room and marking them. Three small scratches on the left cheek." Mr. Crepsley explained. "However, it was an incredible stoke of good fortune that I found his victim. It will not happen again, but I am sure Murlough will leave this town and not return. That, I can settle for."

"What?" I cried. "So you're just going to let him go on a killing spree?!"

"It is not my business to deal with creatures such as Murlough." He simply answered.

"Then why did you get involved in the first place?" Ariel asked. Good question.

"This town is where I was born and raised as a human." Mr. Crepsley replied. "Even though everyone I knew is long gone by know, it is the closest thing to home that I will ever have. Gavner Purl knew this, and knew that I would not be able to sit back and watch Murlough wreak havoc here."

"If Gavner Purl is such a good friend of yours, then why didn't he just take care of the vampaneze for you?" I asked.

"Vampaneze are loyal." Mr. Crepsley replied. "A Vampire General against a mere vampaneze would not be a fair fight- It could spark an all out war. However, a normal vampire versus a vampaneze is appropriate. I would be the only one they would seek to kill, because I do not have any connection to the other vampires."

"I see.." Ariel nodded slowly. "So.. what now?"

"I suppose we return to the Cirque Du Freak. Murlough will not pose as a threat to this city any longer."

"Will we ever come back?" I asked.

"Murlough shall never return, so neither will we."

I sighed. It sucked that we were going to have to leave- I'll miss this place.


	13. Kidnapped

**Chapter XIII**

It was snowing the next morning. When I woke up, I looked out the window to see Ariel building a snowman. Smiling to myself, I pulled my jacket over the clothes that I had slept in and went outside, planning to sneak up on her. (I didn't need the jacket, it was just to look normal.)

I took the elevator to the first floor and went outside, then made my way to the square. Thats where I had seen Ariel from my window.

I caught sight of her snowman, but no Ariel. We were alone. I leaned down to make a snowball, so that I could ambush her, but something cold and wet pelted me in the arm. Taken by surprise, I looked up to see Ariel by the corner of the large hotel building. She was laughing at me. I smirked, gathered up the snow into my palms, and chased after her. She ran behind the building away from me, giggling, out of sight.

After about a minute of chasing her, I realized something was weird. I couldn't see her at all, as if she had suddenly vanished. Her laughter, which had been filling the air only a moment ago, had died by now.

A sudden ear piercing scream made me jump and drop the snowball. It was Ariel- She was in trouble! But where did she go? I ran ten times faster then I knew I could, but it didn't help. Nothing but snow surrounded me.

"Ariel!" I screamed.

Soon, I could hear her whimpering, but growling at the same time, and it sounded like she was fighting someone away. I pictured someone trying to grab her, and she was struggling, trying to push them away; Punching, fighting and kicking. I _knew_ that's what was going on, but I didn't know who that _someone_ was.

"Fuck you!" I heard her scream, while weeping. "Get away from me! Get-" Her voice was suddenly muffled.

After that, the racket weakened, then completely died.

"Ariel?" I screamed out at the top of my lungs, my tone filled with rage and panic. I looked down, and what I saw stopped me from running.

This is where they had been standing. Her footsteps came to the spot in front of me- they were visible in the snow- and then stopped when they met larger footsteps. Drops of blood had soaked up some snow.

Looking up, I could see the person who confronted her seemed to have jumped from the nearby rooftop. I looked back down, and could see that the footsteps clumped together, but then she was dragged away. I knew that dragging Ariel couldn't have lasted long- not only because I knew that she would definitely fight back, but also because the dragged footsteps disappeared. Her capturer must've picked her up after- I assumed- knocking her unconscious.

I sped after the footsteps that conformed that her had capturer ran away, but they became fainter and fainter, until they completely disappeared. After spinning around in a circle, trying to catch sight of someone, I fell to my knees.

Ariel was kidnapped. I let them get away, and now she's gone.

-------------- --------------

I had no idea what to do. Panic had seized my mind, causing my thoughts to whirl around in my head like a tornado. I felt dizzy.

Without thinking- because my mind was pretty much set on auto pilot, my body overcome with rage- I began to search the entire city. I looked every where: Every alley, every park, every god damn street I could think of. I left no stone unturned. Unsuccessful. By the time I was done looking everywhere, (and I started at about ten in the morning) the sun had climbed low towards the horizon. It was getting ready to set.

My legs were tired. Well, that wasn't what mattered- my legs had grown tired awhile ago, but the frantic searching had kept my mind off of it. Now, they could barely carry me.

Scratch that: They couldn't carry me. My knees collapsed. I fell onto the paved road of a quiet street somewhat near the hotel, and laid on my side without bothering to get up.

"_You will be Ariel's keeper, as she has placed her complete trust in you."_

Mr. Crepsley's voice echoed in my thoughts, over and over again. The words wouldn't leave me alone.

"Shut up!" I screamed, standing up, holding my head. I started to cry.

That's when I thought I heard someone chuckle. I whipped around to see who it was, but no one was there. I was alone.

"I like your pretty little girlfriend, Darren Shan," A voice giggled, proving me wrong. I realized that it was coming from someone under the sewer bars, beneath my feet. I dropped back down to my knees and grasped the metal bars.

_It was Murlough, the mad vampaneze! _

I stared at him in disbelief. It was dark under the street, so I could barely see him, but he was there all right.

"I could just eat her up," He giggled. "What's your girlfriend's name, hmm? She wouldn't tell me, she's not good with formalities. Not at all."

"You have Ariel..?" I growled.

"Ariel! What a pretty name." He squealed. "I could just eat her up."

"Where is she?!" I barked.

"Who? Ariel? Ari?" He did a strangle little half dance under the vent. "She's tied up. Tied up pretty good. Murlough's good with those ropes, yes he is."

I remembered the blood that I had seen in the snow earlier and gave a fit. "You hurt her! I saw the blood in the snow! You bastard!"

His smile faded. "Your little girlfriend hit innocent young Murlough! You think I hurt her? My feelings are hurt!"

"Good for you!" I hissed. "You better not lay a fucking hand on her or so help me I will-"

"Oh, dear, no!" He giggled, his voice full of fake fear. "The little half-vampire is going to hurt me! Please don't hurt me little half-vampire! I'll do anything you say!"

I threw my head up and roared, shaking the bars of the vent, trying to pry them off. "Where is she?!" I screamed.

"Tell me, where are you and the vampire living now?" He asked, completely ignoring my question. "Ari hasn't told me yet, no matter how many times I used her skin to sharpen my knifes." He smirked, quite delighted with himself. "I like it when she squeals."

I spat at him through the bars and started screaming and cursing him off. "Stay the fuck away from her! I'll kill you!"


	14. Running Up That Hill

**Chapter Song: **Running Up That Hill - Placebo

**Chapter XIV**

"Shut up!" The vampaneze snapped. "I won't take anymore lip from a runtish little half vampire like yourself. One more threat and I'm off- and that'll be the end of your precious princess."

My fingers, which still had a tight enough grip on the bars to turn my knuckles white, were starting to tremble. I could still feel tears rolling down my cheeks. But as much as I wanted to scream at the monster and strangle him, I had to bit my lip and hold everything back.

_It doesn't hurt me.  
You wanna feel how it feels?  
You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?  
You wanna hear about the deal I'm making?  
You (be running up that hill)  
You and me (be running up that hill) _

"Good boy!" Murlough exclaimed once I calmed down.

"So, you knew that Ariel is the princess," I began, my voice struggling to sound calm. "Then you should know that if you kill her, that would start an all out war between my clan and yours."

He smirked. "Darren Shan has a bit of brains in that head of his, hmm? You're not as stupid as most vampires. Still, no one has more brains than Murlough. Young Murlough has brains oozing out of his ears, some would say."

"Please stop."

"Anyway," He went on. "You're right- It will start a war. Maybe that's why I captured Ari. But they won't find me, no. Murlough's too slick, especially for dull vampires."

"What?! Why would you want to start a war?"

_And if I only could,  
Make a deal with God,  
And get him to swap our places,  
Be running up that road,  
Be running up that hill,  
Be running up that building.  
If I only could, oh... _

"How does, for kicks and giggles grab you?" Murlough snickered.

"You're insane!" I growled.

"_Insane?_" I expected him to be furious because of the insult, but he only giggled. "Do I look insane to you? Young Murlough isn't insane! I'm as sane as a vampaneze ever lived. Would I be hear if I was crazy? Do you see me foaming at the mouth? Do you hear me babbling on like an idiot? Hmm?!"

"Maybe not," I replied sarcastically. "You're pretty smart now that I think about it."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed. I guess he doesn't get sarcasm.

_You, (be running up that hill)  
You and me, (be running up that hill)  
You and me won't be unhappy. _

"And the vampire-" Murlough growled. "Why did he interfere? I never did anything to him and I never got in his way! Why did he have to go and mess things up?"

"This used to be his city," I explained. "He lived here when he was a human, and felt like it was his duty to protect the people."

"What?!" Murlough exclaimed. He began to laugh- an evil, sinister, crazy laugh. "He did it.. for them?! The blood carriers?!"

I could feel anger ignite inside of me. What Mr. Crepsley did was noble, and Murlough didn't have the right to laugh. I wanted to kill him so badly as I waited for him to stop with the hysterical laughing.

"Give Ariel back.." I growled, once he stopped laughing.

"Or else what? You're going to hurt me?" He chuckled. "Please! Say you'll leave me be!"

"Listen to me," I began. "I'll give you a life for a life..My life for her life."

_And if I only could,  
Make a deal with God,  
And get him to swap our places,  
Be running up that road,  
Be running up that hill,  
Be running up that building,  
If I only could, oh... _

He started at me for a moment, startled, but then began to chuckle. "Why on earth would I want to make that trade? She's much more valuable then you are! Much more valuable. Besides, your blood is poisonous to me. I can't eat you up."

"Hers is poisonous, too."

"Nope, no it's not- Her blood isn't poisonous- just the way I like my food. Not poisonous." He smirked. "And delicious."

"It isn't?"

He giggled. "Nope!"

Tears continued to roll down my face. I wanted to steal her pain.

_C'mon, baby, c'mon, c'mon, darling,  
Let me steal this moment from you now.  
C'mon, angel, c'mon, c'mon, darling,  
Let's exchange the experience, oh... _

"Give me your word that you will spare her." I said. "Mr. Crepsley told me that vampaneze have to keep their word."

He shifted a bit to avoid the sun, and then gave a smile full of sharp, red teeth. "But Ari's going to be my Christmas dinner!"

"You swear you won't kill her until Christmas night, then?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes."

I sighed. "Until then, whatever pain you cause her- I will return to you tenfold." I growled.

He giggled. "I'm sure!" Then, the next second, he was slipping his way down the tunnels, back to Ariel.

_And if I only could,  
Make a deal with God,  
And get him to swap our places,  
Be running up that road,  
Be running up that hill,  
With no problems.. _

"On Christmas night, when you're sinking your teeth into your ham and turkey- I hope you think of me, and what my teeth will be sinking into!" His voice echoed from below. After that, I could hear his mad laughter grow fainter and fainter as he waltzed deeper into the tunnels.

My anger slowly grew into grief. The tears stopped falling down my face- I was numb now- as I laid by the vent, my hand through the bar. I was reaching, and trying to imagine Ariel reaching back, even though the darkness separated us.

_If I only could, be running up that hill._


	15. My Only Hope

**Chapter Note: **Is anyone else able to cure headaches/mind grains with chocolate milk besides me? D:

Okay that doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter. Continue!

**  
Chapter XV**

I told Mr. Crepsley about what had happened at the very stroke of nightfall. Once I was done, he didn't say anything in return, but looked at me with a very troubled, saddened, and maybe panicked look in his eyes. I thought he was going to flip, maybe even blame me- which I wanted- but he couldn't find the words, I suppose.

"Then we will go after her." He soon announced, standing from his chair.

"How?"

"You said that Murlough promised not to kill her until the twenty-fifth, correct?"

"Right."

"Then we shall search for her tonight and tomorrow." He replied.

"But she can be anywhere in the city!"

"Not _in_ the city- Under it." Mr. Crepsley said. "If you saw Murlough in the sewer drain, then that means he has probably set up base underneath the city, allowed to move about freely, away from the sun."

"But what if he was just using the tunnels to follow me?" I asked.

"We will have to take the chance." He replied.

-------------- --------------

Ariel took a deep breath, the air heavy of despair and sorrow filling her lungs. It was completely dark, so she couldn't see a thing, (Even vampires need a little light) and quiet. But she accepted the quiet- It meant she was alone, at last. It promised safety.. for a little while.

Until _he_ came back.

She was sprawled out on the cold, damp floor, her ankles tied together and her arms tied behind her back. Ariel's cheek felt numb, as it had been pressed against the ground for what seemed like years, and her golden hair was also flat against the tunnel floor, like a long beautiful, silk scarf- pieces in her face.

Her arms, legs, and face were covered with various cuts, dabbed with dry blood. Her white dress was splattered with dirt and blood. Crimson was smeared on her cheek.

Duct tape covered her mouth, so that if she wished to speak, she would be reduced to a murmur. That didn't matter though, it seemed as if all the breath in her body had been stolen, along with her voice.

If Ariel's hands weren't tied behind her, she would place one on her heart to make sure if it was beating, because she wasn't sure. It seemed to be broken, like shattered glass.

Without a single ray of light, their was only two hopes that she had. Closing her eyes, she pictured them and clung to the comfort that her thoughts gave her.

_Darren and Mr. Crepsley will come for me.. _She thought to herself._ They'll come.._

She thought back to all the nightmares she had had in the past, and considered the possibility that this was one. Ariel told herself that and held the hope close, but she knew deep down that this wasn't a dream.

This was real.

-------------- --------------

I was loosing all my hope by the minute. There was _way_ more space under the ground than Mr. Crepsley had predicted. The tunnels twisted and turned, like a maze, and seemed to have just been thrown all over the place at random. They seemed endless.

Some tunnels were dry and cracked, others half full of water and waste. The stench was horrible, and there were rats, spiders, and insects all over the place.

Still, I'll do anything to save Ariel. I could almost picture her walking besides us, lifting her feet high as she made her way through the water, going _ew ew ew ew._

I really wished she was with us, but she wasn't.

"I do not understand why they need so many bloody tunnels," Mr. Crepsley said grimly, after several hours of unproductive searching. It seemed we had walked to the other end of the city and back, but when he stuck his head above ground to check our position, we had only gone about a third of a mile.

"Uh, I think different tunnels were made at different times.." I said, looking around. My dad used to work for a construction company and had explained a little about underground building to me. "They eventually wear in places, so it's easier to build new ones instead of go back and fix the old ones up."

"What a waste." He grumbled in reply. "There seem to be more holes than concrete- I am surprised the whole damned city hasn't fallen in upon itself."

After a brief moment, Mr. Crepsley stopped and cursed.

"Do you wanna take a break?" I asked.

"No," He sighed. "We shall continue- It is better than sitting around and doing nothing. At least we will have some sort of control over our destiny that way."

-------------- --------------

Ariel could feel footsteps coming closer. She could smell the blood. Murlough was coming, his presence drawing closer and closer every second. Her heart began to beat rapidly, along with her breath, as she squeezed her eyes shut and squirmed her way towards a corner.

A sudden squeaking sound caused her to jump, slightly.

A rat was crawling around by her tied up hands. She felt it's tail brush against her skin. A brief moment later she could make out a small shape that passed her face. It stopped, and she could make out a pair of small, shiny eyes.

_Help.. _She thought. It was really stupid, asking a rodent for help, but she could make out the outline of it's body, and it's eyes seemed to understand.

It was gone a second later. Murlough was entering the room with a giggle. "Guess who I just had a wonderful chat with!"

Ariel shuddered, hearing the familiar whip of knifes being twirled around quickly.


	16. You're a Holocaust

**Chapter XVI**

"Ariel!" I shouted, stomping my way through the tunnels half full of water and waste, while holding a torch, so that the flame flickered and danced against the low, damp ceiling. The waving shadows loomed menacingly and then shrank against the dark walls. The flame was beginning to weaken.

Mr. Crepsley and I had been searching for hours, but it felt longer. I could feel a clock ticking inside my walls, a death clock, and it was driving me crazy.

Time was running out.

The flame on my torch was still alive, but barely, so I let it fall to the water. Pitch black. I didn't care though, I just kept going. I had to get to Ariel if it was the last thing I did.

After bumping into a wall for the seventh time, I turned around, suddenly wondering where Mr. Crepsley had gone.

He was just behind me..

"Mr. Crepsley?" I called out.

No answer.

"Mr. Crepsley? Where-" I was stopped short by a hand that drove hard into my back and sent me crashing into the floor. I gave a shout of pain and surprise.

"Who's there?" I asked shakily. "Mr. Crepsley?"

"Even better." A chuckle replied.

A flashlight flicked on right in front of my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I grunted, covering my eyes, then attempted to shuffle away, but he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and breathed into my face.

Murlough's breath entered my lungs and knocked me out.

-------------- --------------

As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a skull with some flesh still on it, and an eye still in one of the sockets. I screamed and tried to pull away, but I couldn't.

I was looking up at my body, realizing that I was tightly bound by rope. After a brief moment of puzzled panic, I noticed that there were ropes tied around my ankles, and I was hanging upside down.

"I bet the world looks different from up there, hmmm?" Murlough said. Twisting around- I couldn't move my limbs, but I could swing around- I saw him sitting near the skull, chewing on a fingernail.

"Say hi to Ari," He stuck out a foot and began to rock that skull.

_"No!" _I screamed, immediately baring my teeth. I tried to swing toward his leg and bite deep into his flesh, but the rope wouldn't swing that far. "You said you wouldn't kill her until tonight!" I cried.

"It isn't night yet? Oops, I lost track of time. A bit of a boo boo, hm?"

_"I'll kill you!" _I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I'll-"

A whimper from below made me stop.

"Who's there?" I asked. I was certain, at first, that it was Mr. Crepsley. But it didn't sound like him.

"D-Darren?" A tiny voice asked.

"_Ariel?_"

Murlough flicked a bright light on. I tightly squeezed my eyes closes, but then slightly opened them, allowing myself to adjust to the light. Once I did, I could make out Ariel's outline. She sat limp in the corner, her back against the wall, arms tucked behind her. She was looking down, so a curtain of blonde hair hid her face. I noticed ropes that bound her ankles tightly together, and her arms.

"Ariel?" I repeated.

She slowly lifted her head to look at me, hair falling away from her face. Her eyes seemed almost hollow and solemn, her mouth stiffly trying not to quiver. One whole side of her face was a bruise going yellow and green at the edges, and I saw more purple ones on the rest of her body. Her body looked thin and dry, like a leaf. Bloody cuts covered her arms, legs, and face. She was a holocaust.

Still, she was alive!

"How romantic!" Murlough giggled.

"Darren, what are you doing here?" Ariel asked in a small, raspy voice. "How did-"

Murlough kicked her, sending the side of her head to crash into the wall. "Quiet!"

"Stay away from her!" I roared.

"Make me." He replied simply, then turned back to Ariel. "One more word out of you without permission and it will be your last, understand?"

She nodded shakily, looking up at him with panicked eyes in her bruised face. Fury ignited in me that _anything, anyone _could frighten her so much, and that anyone could hammer the sarcasm and the will to fight out of her.

Murlough walked away and went to sit somewhere. I think I had seen a bed in the other corner before, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ariel, who was looking away. I could hear water dripping from somewhere. The floor was littered with skeletons.

"How did you find me?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Wasn't hard." Murlough said. "Wasn't hard. I heard you and the vampire coming from miles away. Ari even heard them too- Didn't you, Ari?" He looked over to her.

She shook her head, up and down, trembling.

"I thought so. So I followed you and the vampire. Young Murlough knows these pipes like the back of his teeth, yes he does. Didn't just sit and twiddle my thumbs. Young Murlough's smart."


	17. For You I'd Bleed Myself Dry

**Chapter Note: **Hey guys, I just wanted to let you all know that I want more reviews before updating with the new chapter. I hate to ask, but there haven't been any reviews in AWHILE. Just a few more and I'll post a new chapter immediately. If you give me a nice review I'll REALLY appreciate it! Also this book is almost done and I know a lot of people are looking forward to Vampire Mountain, so submit those reviews and it'll be here before you know it :D Thanks guys!

**Chapter XVII**

"Why didn't you attack Mr. Crepsley? He was alone and without a flashlight." I said. "Are you too scared to pick on someone your own size? Pfft, coward. You're no better than a-"

His fist connected with the side of my face.

_Stars_.

"Speak to me like that one more time and I'll rip your mouth off." He said. I glared at him with hatred, but held my tongue.

"Murlough's afraid of nothing!" He told me. "Especially not an ancient, old vampire like Crepsley. What kind of vampire consorts with children, hmm? He isn't worth bothering with- I'll kill him later. You have more guts. You're hot blooded." He pinched my cheek. "I like hot blood."

"I'm a half vampire, my blood's off limits."

"Maybe I'm done with limits!" He retorted.

"You'll get sick!" I cried.

His eyes flickered towards Ariel, then back to me. "Perhaps, but it can still be shed. I'll drink from Ariel, then kill you."

I gulped. Murlough began to push me, so that I swung around, and it made me feel sick. He took a small knife. I closed my eyes. He tossed it, then left the room. I opened my eyes to see he was smirking as he exited.

I looked over toward Ariel.

_"Distract him_,_"_ She mouthed.

_"Distract him?" _I mouthed back, puzzled._ "Why?" _

_"Just do it." _She winked at me.

He returned with two, large knifes. Ariel began to whimper once she heard the noise of him slicing them together. Her hands where still behind her back, concealed.

"Ah! Ari knows what these are for, doesn't she?"

She whimpered in reply.

"Yes, we had some fun with these," He sliced them together, slow, so that they produced a sharp grating sound that made me shiver.

Murlough made a face, as if remembering something unpleasant. "She wouldn't speak, no matter how badly I cut her."

Ariel didn't say anything. Maybe there was still some fight left in her.

I didn't know what kind of plan she had, but maybe there was still hope.

"We left the hotel, anyway." I said, assuming that that was what Murlough had asked her.

"You must've left your brains, too," He said. "Did you really think you could waltz down here into my lair, rescue your girl friend and run off like a happy little lamb?"

I sighed. "Well-"

"Did it ever occur to you that I am the master of this domain and would do everything in my power to stop you?"

"Yes."

"But you came anyway?"

I nodded. "Did you think I was just gonna leave her down here, so you could kill her?"

He started at me in disgust. "That's the human in you, if you were a full vampire you would have let her go."

"You _are_ an idiot, Darren Shan." I heard someone say.

But it wasn't Murlough.

Ariel flashed me a quick smirk, then grabbed Murlough by his collar, turning him around. After backhanding him across the jaw- And in that instant I could swore I saw some of Murlough's teeth fall out- He then snapped out of the shock and slammed her against the wall. Her body slid down to the floor, crumpled like a paper flower.

"Nice try." He was laughing, trying to keep his cool, but I could tell there was some anger in Murlough's voice now. With a swift hand, he quickly wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Now, which one will I kill first?" He mused, playing with the knifes, twirling them around.

"Darren," Ariel wheezed. "Why did you come for me?"

I stared at her for a moment. Sadness filled me up to the brim, knowing that there was nothing I could do. I wished I could be strong enough to rip through these ropes and save her, like she just tried to save me.

_"I love you.." _I replied, my voice barely a whisper. It was the only thing I could say, but my voice was so restrained that not even a vampire could hear.

She gave me a puzzled look, as if to say, _what?_

"I think.. I'll choose.." He went on, ignoring us.

_"You!"_ Murlough roared and jumped onto me.

And _that_ was his fatal mistake.

He was on top of me in an instant, pulling my neck back. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the cold metal blade against my soft flesh. This was the end..

_What a lousy way to die!_

Ariel's limp body quickly sprang into action. Murlough turned around to met her challenge once more. Her eyes, which were not only cold and determined, were crimson and frightening. Bloody.

Her hand, which had coiled into a fist, drew back then sprung forth. Dark blood erupted from Murlough's nose as her fist threw him backwards. He fell to the ground.

I watched with wide eyes, expecting some epic battle, but an angry Ariel versus a vampaneze..

Murlough struggled back onto his feet, the smirk completely wiped from his face. He spat blood and threw him self at Ariel, but she had already jumped into the air, her leg already swinging out in a huge roundhouse kick.

_Wham!_

Murlough didn't have a chance.

He sunk to his knees, unable to breath, a stunned look on his face. For good measure, Ariel brought both of her hands down onto Murlough's chest, with a force hard enough to brake his ribs. _I_ even heard the breath leave him with a _whoosh_.


	18. Ever The Same

**Chapter XVIII**

**Chapter Song:** Ever The Same – Rob Thomas

Ariel stared down at Murlough's limp body for a moment, then gave a sigh and turned around. Her eyes were shut tightly, and it looked like she was about to collapse any second.

I let out a long, relieved breath, and closed my eyes as well. It was all over.

When I opened them, Murlough was standing right behind Ariel, mad as fuck. With the knifes in his hands, he got ready to strike. I let out a scream of bloody murder that made my ears ring.

_We were drawn from the weeds  
We were brave like soldiers  
Falling down under the pale moonlight  
You were holding to me  
Like a someone broken  
And I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now _

Ariel's eyes popped open. She whirled around as fast as I think possible, then fell backwards as Murlough's first knife went for her _face_. Her arms extended behind her and landed on the floor, so that she was able to lift herself up, like a backward push-up stance. The knife flew right over her head.

_Too_ close.

One of her legs flew up and kicked Murlough in the stomach. She was in an awkward position, so it didn't do too much damage, but it did make him fall back.

They both got up, Murlough using his other knife to go for her neck. She moved out of the way in good time, but it left a bad knick on her skin. As his arm followed out on the swing, it left a gap that Ariel exploited. She quickly grabbed his wrist, twisted it around, throwing his body down once more. She had been able to rip his knife free of his hand in the process as well. Gripping the hilt, she used the blade to knock the other knife from his hold. I watched as it flew to the other side of the room and clattered on the floor.

Using the only knife she now had, Ariel pierced the blade through his stomach. Dark blood exploded everywhere. She left it there for a brief moment, her eyes still deep with an almost evil red color, then pulled it. More blood spilled, soiling his white suit and flowing onto the floor.

Ariel stood, staring into space. Her expression was blank, and she seemed almost grown up, like a grown up assassin. It was so different then her usually happy, childish self. I guess life just touches us with pain, and we have had a share of so much, you know? It touches us with pain and we just become so different. We change.

_Just let me hold you while you're falling apart  
Just let me hold you so we both fall down _

This wasn't a permanent thing, though. Yeah, Ariel probably has grown up a lot, but she's just in a fight-to-the-death mode right now.

Her gaze went away, and so did what she was thinking about- whatever it was, maybe what I just said, I'll never know, but shook the blade free of some blood then came over and cut me free of the ropes that hung me upside down. Everything that had happened until this point kind of made me forget that I was ever hanging, but being upside down did really suck, and I was glad that she cut me down.

I dropped down on the floor, hard, but my hands broke most of the fall. I used them to push myself up, brushed some dirt of my shirt, and looked up at Ariel.

She blinked slowly, and when her eyes had opened again, they were a crystal shade of blue. Tears were forming in her eyes, and soon began to drip down her bruised and bloody face. I could almost imagine the sting as they mixed with the blood. Her strong grip on the hilt of the knife slowly loosened, until it fell to the floor with a clatter that echoed.

_We would stand in the wind  
We were free like water  
Flowing down  
Under the warmth of the sun  
Now it's cold and we're scared  
And we've both been shaken  
Look at us  
Man, this doesn't need to be the end _

Then, in a split second, her arms were wrapped tightly around me. I wrapped mine around her in return, and I could feel her put her weight on me. I didn't mind, it seemed as if she was barely able to stand. I held her so close that I could hear her heart beat, which was dimming down to a normal pace as the adrenaline seeped from her body.

_Just let me hold you while you're falling apart  
Just let me hold you so we both fall down _

"It's all over.." I sighed over her weeping. Just as I said that a noise came from the other side of the room, and we both looked over at Murlough's body.

He was still alive, but barely, spitting into his hands and trying to heal the gaping wound. It was too large though, and too late. Everything was over for the mad vampaneze.

With only a minute or two left, Murlough began to crawl over toward Ariel and I. It was a long, agonizing crawl, and for a minute I felt a slight pity for him. Then I shifted my gaze toward Ariel, who was staring at him hatefully, and the blood made me hate him completely again. After what seemed like forever, the vampaneze had reached our feet and collapsed on the floor, leaving a bloody trail behind him.

His breath was unsteady as he struggled to lift a finger, which he used to beckon us toward him. His red eyes moved around in his sockets for awhile until they finally rested on us, which took a great effort.

Ariel and I exchanged a quick glance, wondering if we should see what he had to say. I guessed he couldn't really do anything to hurt us, so I decided to bend down. I was curious about what was so important that he had to make the torturous crawl over here.

As I bent down, Ariel did the same, holding onto my arm for support.

He raised his head as high as he possibly could and whispered something that I couldn't hear.

"Can you repeat that?" I asked. "I didn't quite catch that, you're gonna have to speak up."

I barely see any of his sharp, yellow teeth, because most of them were drenched in dark blood. He licked his lips, clearing some blood and making some space for air.

"Y-Y-Yuh-You're G-Girl f-f-friend is s-s-s-sneak- sneaky, n-no?" He gurgled.

"Ariel _is _pretty clever." I replied.

He smiled blankly, then his eyes rolled back into his sockets, and collapsed. He was dead.

_Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be  
Forever with you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same  
Call on me  
I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me  
Forever it's you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same _

I helped Ariel up and made our way toward the tunnel. I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"I can walk." She told me. I had had her arm around my neck, walking her toward the exit. I let go of her and watched as she made her way towards the darkness.

"Hello?" Ariel asked suddenly. "Who's there?"

My eyes widened, and I turned my attention to the darkness of the tunnels of blood. At first, there was just darkness, but then I could make out the shadow of someone standing there.

Just as I was about to jump out in front of Ariel, the figure emerged. As he stepped into the dull light, I could see now it was Mr. Crepsley!

"I could feel your mental signals, and I came as fast I could." He told Ariel. "It led me here.."

"You scared the shit out of me.." I growled.

"Where is..?" His voice trailed off, obviously ignoring me.

Ariel and I stepped aside, and Mr. Crepsley's eyes shifted toward Murlough's dead body. He raised his eyebrows.

"I am.. impressed."

Just as he finished, Ariel made a sort of gasping noise and began to fall forwards. I took a quick step forward, but Mr. Crepsley disappeared and reappeared before her like lightening. He caught the unconscious Ariel and picked her up, one arm under her head and one under her legs.

"I am going to need to tend to these wounds as soon as we get back.." He said, sighing. There was an angry look on his face as he shook his head, but it went away quickly. Murlough was dead, you reap what you sow. Ariel got her revenge all by herself. I smiled, and I could have sworn Mr. Crepsley did for a brief moment as well. He was proud of her.. So was I.

_You may need me there  
To carry all your weight  
But you're no burden I assure  
You tide me over  
With a warmth I'll not forget  
But I can only give you love _


	19. You and Me

**Chapter Note:** I'd like to thank you guys for your reviews! They were delicious when I ate them. Errr I mean when I read them. :)

**Chapter Song:** You and Me - Lifehouse

**Chapter XIX**

I nibbled weakly on a Christmas cookie while sitting besides Ariel, who was unconscious on the bed in our hotel. Mr. Crepsley was sitting out of eyesight- or at least I think so, I was too busy waiting for Ariel to wake up.

_What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time_

Her eyes fluttered open, and I think I actually flinched. Even though her small, petite body was covered with scars and bruises, she was still stunningly beautiful. Golden hair was spread all over the pillow, some pieces in her face. Ariel's icy light blue eyes, which were like beautiful gems pressed into the crevices of her porcelain face, seemed confused as she scanned the room. They soon met mine, and I had to look away once she smiled at me. Her beauty made me feel insignificant, but I managed a smile in return.

She picked her arms up, noticing the bandages wrapped around them, then sighed and let them drop back to her sides.

I brushed a stray lock of blonde hair away from her eye. "Merry Christmas," I said, smirking. "Want a cookie?" I nodded to a napkin of Christmas cookies from the lobby on the nightstand next to her, and her gaze followed.

Ariel sat up and grabbed one, then quickly devoured it. "Thanks.. I haven't eaten in I don't know how many days now.." She laid back down. "I remember him bringing me down to that room, and everything else is pretty much a painful blur, until you arrived."

_  
Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you _

"He tied you up, didn't he?" The words came out so quickly that I had barely pronounced them, but the question had been on my mind forever. "How did you manage to get free? The ropes were too strong to brake through."

She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, blankly, then quickly smirked. "Oh yeah, I remember that. You wouldn't believe me though, you'll think I'm a moron."

"Tell me!" I cried anxiously.

"Alright, well when I was sitting in the room alone, I could feel the presence of something else in there with me, and I felt something brush against my skin."

"What was it?"

"A rat." Ariel laughed. "I know it sounds silly, but it seemed to know I was in trouble. It helped me.. After that, I just waited for the right moment to strike."

"Vampires share special bonds with wolves and rats. They can read our minds." Mr. Crepsley said from his spot by the window.

She looked at her arms once more. "I got beat up pretty bad, huh?" Ariel laughed. "I must look like crap."

_All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here _

"You don't." I assured her. I could feel my ears get hot when she blinked, obviously not expecting the comment.

"We will be leaving tomorrow at dusk." Mr. Crepsley announced, breaking the brief silence.

"Back to the Cirque?" I asked.

He nodded, looking over at us. "Make sure you pack your things ahead of time."

Then, the moment Mr. Crepsley looked away, Ariel quickly leaned over and kissed me, her soft lips mostly touching my skin, but partly on my lips.

"Thank you," She whispered into my ear.

_Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you _

Mr. Crepsley looked up from whatever he was doing and looked at us, but Ariel had already leaned away and sat on the bed. He raised a brow at me because my face was beat red, but he shrugged it off and turned away.

I looked at her, speechless.

_I love her._

Why can't I just tell her?

-------------- --------------

It's quiet. A white quiet. I left the hotel a few minutes ago, just to walk around for a bit and feel the snow on my face. It's about ten pm and I can hear the crunch of my boots as I walk in the snow that blankets the sidewalk. The soft, white flakes landed gracefully on my face and melted away.

Thats what I longed to do: Melt away. Crawl under a rock.

The stillness around me is absorbing. I stop in the middle of the empty road, and stuff my hands into the pockets of my jacket. There isn't any noise. Nothing. Just the beating of my heart.

The crunching of snow from behind breaks the silence. I turn around quickly to see Ariel walking towards me.

I smirked. Usually we wear heavy clothes to blend in, but she came out wearing white shorts and a light blue tank top, and boots.

_There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right _

Oh well, it's not like anyone is around.

She smiled in return. "I was kind of hoping there'd be other people out here, just so that they could stare at me all confused."

I laughed. "Nope, it's just us."

Ariel continued to walk until she stood next to me. With a grin still on her face, she crossed her arms and looked down at her boots. Her damp blonde hair was mostly straight, but partly wavy. Beads of snow had fallen into her hair and partly melted.

"Okay.. So I lied.. I wanted that more."

I blinked. "Really?"

She looked up at me and nodded, slowly.

"Well now that we're alone, what do you wanna do?" I asked.

Ariel answered me by staring into my eyes. I was immediately mesmerized and stared back into hers. After a brief moment, which to me, seemed life for ever, her lips met mine in a fiery embrace.

_  
Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you _

Well, only for a second. She immediately disengaged herself and pulled away.

"What wrong?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "Well you have to catch me first."

I returned her smile and chased her around the street for awhile until I finally caught her. When I did, I pushed her down and sat on her, putting her hands behind her back and holding her there so she couldn't move.

Ariel giggled and began to stare deep into my eyes again. Whenever she did, I couldn't help stare back into hers, and I felt like I was gazing at her soul.

And I did melt away, like I wanted to, but it was better than I thought.

_What day is it?  
And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive _

_**To Be Continued..**_


End file.
